Classical Musician's Reaction & Analysis: PENTATONIX - RUN TO YOU (live) 

Check out this reaction next! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-KQzOyRRdeaU.html

If you ever need a pick-me-up just listen to their original song 'Sing' That song never fails to raise my spirits and put a smile on my face.

Light in the Hallway is a beautiful original. There is no studio video of it, only fan recordings during concerts. Scott wrote it in honor of the birth of his nephew, and he specifically asked Avi to sing it. Avi declined until Scott said he’d imagined Avi singing it when he wrote it. It is just beautiful.

In concert, they drop the mics and gather around a single light and sing. If you notice, a lot of the time they have their eyes closed. They do not need to see each other to know when to come in. They feel each other.

when they perform this at shows the venue is completely, eerily silent, it's crazy, they usually do it off-mike. So now another original that is COMPLETELY different try Love Again :D

Avi and Kevin wrote this together and arranged it

This was lovely but the studio version pulls Avi and Mitchs vocals forward in key parts which i think really drives the emotion of the song. Love your ptx reactions and analysis!

The mics weren’t leveled properly in this live performance. IMO, the official video is much better due to the brilliant song engineer and video. Either way, it’s a beautiful song written by Avi and Kevin, and shows off Avi’s arrangement skills. For another epic arrangement, and with Kirstie singing lead, check out “Say Something” official video (2014?). Kevin plays the cello and sings, in this one.

This and "My Heart With You", and "Light in the Hallway" are amazing. Your analysis is always very interesting!

I would love your reaction to “Sing” original. It’s up beat and fun! Also, original “Water” beautiful Kirsty song and the notes that Mitch are putting together as backing are captivating for me! Thanks!! Love your reactions to PTX! Always watching for one to drop! ❤️

Well i’d love to see you break down “Can’t Hold Us”. It is baby-tonix and it’s insane. Rap song and it’s a banger. They even threw in a couple whistle notes towards the end-ish. It’s a completely different style than what you have seen so far. And they rock it hard. Love your analysis of the music, chords, how the chords can have the same notes but with different octaves, it sounds different and makes you feel differently. Another one that makes you feel kind of like this is “Light in the Hallway”. I guess Scott wrote it as a lullaby for his niece/nephew and they had Avi sing the lead since his voice has sooo much soul, velvet and love. I might be incorrect about the reasons behind it, but it is a magical lullaby. Gorgeous.

My heart with you has another live recording where they sing around 1 mic that is unbelievable if you like these more harmonically complex pieces

Their original stuff is so amazing. When I first saw them on "The Sing Off" I remember thinking, "Oh these kids can sing!". But as I've watched them progress, I realized that there is so much more talent there than just their singing abilities and vocal acrobatics. Their song "Love Again" is one of my very favorite originals. Definitely check that one out.😊🎶🎶 Serendipitously came across a live performance of "Love Again". I've never seen it until today! ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-GyRiez6UKAI.htmlsi=uP6pWX9u0dJpbkqc

They even snuck in a medley using Around the World (Kirstie) while Avi is singing Television and Kevin is going crazy in the beatbox. Simply a masterful arrangement

Would love to hear your take on their originals, Coffee in Bed and Be My Eyes. Their originals are so underrated!

my understanding is that this was primarily written by Avi and Kevin. I hadn't heard this live performance before; I've only seen the ones where they're in concert and go "old school" acapella and sing more off-mic. Those are amazing because the audience is drop dead quiet so their voices can be heard. It's pretty cool. The studio of course if quite nice, but this is a good live recording. As for other orignals, Sing is the exact opposite of this, upbeat and cheery & the video is entertaining; one of my favorites is Can't Sleep Love - the Popspring concert version has Mitch rapping in the middle of it. There are SO many.....we'll all love whichever one you pick next.

I've been following PTX since the Sing Off and this is the first time I've heard the live version of this song. Just goes to show the amount of music they have released. Looking forward to more break downs of their covers and originals. Thanks!

Thank you to whoever pointed Sir Hairless at this version of the song - I've never heard PTX perform this live before, and it was absolutely amazing!

I'd love to see you react to Pentatonix Say Something cover. But I'd also love to see you react to more of their solo or non-Pentatonix stuff, like Scott singing I Should Tell Your Mama on Ya, Kevin doing Down, or Avi & Peter Hollens doing Black is the Color of My True Love's Hair

This was a brilliant reaction. Thank you! I really do love your musical insights. I sing with choirs and one of the best things about singing with others is that 'feeling' of togetherness making something sound lovely. I genuinely believe Pentatonix are the absolute masters at this. The video for this one is very powerful. Thank you for doing an original reaction. I often say their original music is incredible but horribly under-rated because they are so known for their covers. They are all such different styles too. I think my favourite PTX originals are Love Again, Evergreen, Thank you, Water, Can't sleep Love, Cracked - but I love them all! Looking forward to more PTX reactions especially The Prayer and Aha Live in Singapore!

I sure do love a PTX live performance! While the studio version is perfect, this live performance lets me hear Kevin more. This one is a great show of their early writing skills and their abilities as vocalists! Thank you for always teaching us something in your reactions!

When Pentatonix was first trying to build a career after winning The SingOff in 2011, Scott taught them a song he learned in his college a capella group, "My Heart With You" by The Rescues. The style of "Run to You" and others of their homophonic songs is based on "My Heart With You", and after 10 years they did an arrangement and recorded it for their 2021 Evergreen Christmas album.

Watching your facial expressions as you analyze their songs is so interesting. You pick up all of the technical minutiae that my untrained ear completely misses. I look forward to your PTX reactions.

I'll keep throwing my 3 recs in the comments. They're not necessarily my favorite songs but they are such a good representation of how diverse they are. They are amazing songs and I'd have a hard time picking my favorite PTX songs anyways. So heres the big 3 Hallelujah, Daft Punk and Bohemian Rhapsody especially for their earlier stuff with Avi. When you are ready for Matt let us know :)

Thanks for reacting to one of their originals. The originals sometimes get overlooked.

Tx for teaching us and let us learn more about everyone 's abilities. Greetings from South Africa

"Say Something" is great! Please play.

Agree to suggestions before mine for their video "Sing". Because the more viewed pieces will be ballads/hymns, staggering thru the catalog offers some freshness.

Wonderful analysis of this beautiful song. A few other reactors have also winced at the scrunch of some of the chords. For me, the very last chord in the official video when they are humming is the most scrunchy. It feels like the song ends on a question with no answer. Avi and Kevin were mostly responsible for the musical notation in this one, and it was a break from their usual pop and upbeat songs. I hope you take a moment to watch the official video. Looking forward to the next one.

i can't remember where i heard it, but Avi is apparently quite gifted at hearing the soundspace and knowing how to fill it out well. i THINK this one was written by Avi and Kevin (i just paused to search for it, and it looks like it was written by everyone!).

My suspicion is they give that crunchy note to Kevin because he’s the one with perfect pitch.

You said people ask how you can tell who is singing which part. I think it takes a VERY special ear to do that, which you have. I've been listening to PTX for years and I still have a hard time picking out Kevin. Do you think it's because he has such a wide range? Thank you! Such good observations. More PTX please!

Thank you, Sir for another amazing reaction and analysis! Your insights and ability to pick out even the tiniest details are why I love your videos! I'm sure by now you've heard of their Grammy winning "Daft Punk Medley"? There is a version where they are singing it in a green room, backstage. Live, no mics, no editing......just about as bare bones as it gets. You can actually hear them "mixing" themselves as they hone in on the room's acoustics. It even shows the doubters that they do actually make the "synthetic" sounds heard in the studio version with their voices! I think you would enjoy that particular performance very much 😁 There is a link if you're interested! Just holler if you're having trouble finding it 😁😎

Some of my favorite original songs are Light in the Hallway, Standing By, Misbehavin, Sing, Ref, On My Way, A Little Space, Love Me When I Don't, Can't Sleep Love, and Happy Now. I'm sure others have already suggested watching their video of them recording their Evergreen Christmas album, and I agree. It's really interesting.

They had sheet music available for this song on their website. They still may.... This was not mixed very well. The bass part was barely heard in many places. I would suggest listening to the studio version to hear all the parts better.

I've always thought that Avi's mike is turned down more than the others. While I realize that technically it is probably written that way, when you do hear Avi it has a great impact and seems like it would sound so much better with an increase in volume for Avi. 😅

As a vocal music student years and years ago, the way you break things down reminds me of all I had learned about music theory and how I loved to sing! I appreciate all of your reactions and am always waiting for the next one. Are you a composer, teacher, performer? Would love to hear something you may have done! ☺️

Love your reactions. Interestingly, I heard them do this in concert this past year (2023). They have grown so much that hearing the difference in this from 10 years prior is amazing. They were already amazing but hearing them perform this now is stunning.

Thank you very much for your insights into this lovely piece. It made it even better to listen to this time. Great reaction.

Love your analysis. Todrick Hall's "Wizard of Ahhhs featuring Pentatonix" is good or their latest "Kiss from a Rose".

When this song came out, PTX offered the sheet music on their website. My daughter's high school Chamber Choir performed it at their spring concert. It was incredible!

We should’ve probably reacted to their studio version, in this version you can hear them all, but their mics wasn’t balanced… without headphones, I can hear Kevin‘s parts clear as day

For early originals, check out the live Popspring performance - great audio, 3 originals and Michael Jackson evolution. Since you included an Imogen Heap clip, know that Mitch loves her, and their Aha! cover is epic.

I love the soft tone and complex blend of harmonies in this early original. For a completely different take on another early original, please do "Sing", one of my favorites of their earlier music.

Thank you, thank you, thank you. I haven’t seen this video before and it is very revealing of the arrangement. Also, please thank the future Sir Hairless, when and if you meet him. He’s very good.

Great analysis! You have a wonderful ear and you pick up on all of my favorite parts of the texture. I love how tight PTX is as a unit. On songs like this they feel like a unit functioning smoothly together. ❤

You have to do the official video for Can't Help Falling In Love. 5 part harmony worh Kevin. The juiciest chords and Avi goes so smoothly low!. You won't be disappointed!!

Congratulations on your achievement.

We as Pentaholics miss you. Greetings from South Africa

I adore PTX! Any group that can move you to chills and tears is extraordinary! The song that moves me most is Hallelujah. Daft Punk Medley is just fun and cool! I also love Radioactive where Kevin beat boxes while playing the cello and it features Violinist Lindsey Sterling’ who I also love. Amazing Grace is just AMAZING lol Great analysis as usual.

I highly recommend "Over the Rainbow", maybe not for a reaction video, since it's just an audio version, but just for you to check out. I feel like a lot of the elements that you comment on are present, and just listening to Avi go up and down and carry the melody along, I think you'll really like it. Also, I'm sure Kevin is singing even if I can't tell where.

Ngl this live version doesn’t show this song’s justice as much as the ones nowadays. You can tell they were quite nervous just with their gestures. As years passed they’ve grown so much. Their rendition of this song in recent years is much more expressive :)

I love your analysis and explanations! It adds a whole new layer of appreciation for just how good Pentatonix is. I've always loved their sound, and now you're showing me the mechanics of what makes me like it so much.

Fantastic reaction to a beautiful PTX original. They make the sheet music available to choirs. (Or they did online for a long time) Listening to your technical music breakdowns and chord info is fascinating. The info about Kevin and his vocal contributions to that high chord near the end is interesting. I believe this shows that they base who sings what on what will create the best song. Mitch was singing a stable lower range harmony so having Kevin sing it in his falsetto made sense. As others have said in concerts they often stand around a single mic to sing this. Thank you!

You should check out “Hallelujah”! It is the most viewed PTX song of all time! I’ve mentioned this one before…”Bohemian Rhapsody”. Both of these are absolutely amazing.

My absolute favourite Pentatonix song ever - goose-bumps every time.

The have another original from the same timeframe, It's "Love Again" also they have an entire original album Titled "The Lucky One"

I simply love you.

I don't have a musical background but I've been following PTX for about six years now and I still have a hard time singling out Kevins voice. This was a great analysis. Thank you.

This is my first video of yours and I really love your style, love the music theory with visual aid and the “detailed enough so first time ppl will get it but not too long so experts aren’t annoyed” explanations.

Discovered your reactions recently. Really enjoying your breakdown of songs. You clearly have a great understanding of music and you're ear picking things out and recognizing who is singing what is quite amazing. I am not musically talented and I find your breakdown and explanations very informative. Helps me learn and appreciate performances even more. I've heard this song so many times and listened to many reactions, but have never heard it explained as you have. I definitely learned something knew and helped me appreciate this song even more. Keep it up!

This is a wonderful demonstration of how important their microphone balance is. It would be interesting to compare and contrast this video with the studio recording video so you can hear the blending differences. Kirstie's microphone is set slightly higher in this version. It's great because those of us with less trained ears than you can pick out her normally "supporting" voice when the mic blend isn't the same. Ed Boyer does all their mixing as well as I think for Voiceplay. The man is a genius at achieving that perfect blend. On the other hand I saw them for the first time live in Kansas City right after U.S. Thanksgiving. The guy running the mic board didn't do them any favors in that show.

I finally got to hear this live last September. One of my favorites! Unfortunately, even though I've seen many live versions on RU-vid where the entire audience is silent and respectful, we had several people way in the back whooping and whistling. I guess it was their way of showing appreciation but very annoying. Anyway, Pentatonix's performance was still beautiful. I'm a classically trained pianist since age 7 (yikes! That's 51 years! 😳) and love hearing your in-depth analysis. Another commenter already mentioned this but I want to second the vote for their cover of Imogen Heap's Aha! The studio video is fun with it's Halloween/Zombie feel, but you've got to check out the live from the Singapore Star Vista. Terrible video from a fan's phone, and at some point Avi blow's the speakers, but it's a great performance by Mitch where it's rumored he was jet lagged and on several Red Bull's 😂. Sorry for the long comment. Keep up the good work!!

You mentioned Imogen Heap so I suggest you should react to her song Aha covered by PTX. 😊

Thank you!! It’s amazing to hear you breakdown what they do. You would enjoy Popspring performance.

I have to keep coming back to your reactions...

Great reaction and I agree this is a very soothing arrangement. Think a great one for you to check out is the prayer and also o holy night the new one. Look forward to more great reactions 😊

Just so you know… You’ve become my favorite reactor. 😊

You need to react to Pentatonix’ cover of ‘Can’t help falling in Love’. It is full of harmonies and staggering lyrics. I’m probably not explaining it correctly, but I’m sure you’ll get the gist.

Do check out their original Light in the hallway... its hauntingly beautiful to say the least.

I have such a comment deficit, so many lovely videos to react to (been sick & busy)! Thanks for this-- I'd never heard the live version of this, it's so very clearly in a venue where each mic is at the same level... it *sounds very, very different* than the usual studio version because of this! Studio has Mitch on the 'lead' and much more prominent. You'd probably have a lot of fun reacting to the studio for this reason, to compare and contrast. Love the term 'harmonically daring' bahahaha. Request: Evolution of Beyonce, for the transitions and the vocals but most of all the syncopation and pure joy of how they put it together! ((I went back to listen to the studio version and I'll amend my statement to say that maybe it's Mitch and Kirstie that are more prominent, and not by *too* much! I was just struck by the difference))

Please react to Pentatonix singing “New Rules” & a Pentatonix original “ Sing”

Ahhh Avi and Kevin did this one I believe ❤❤ Thank you, you've quickly become my favorite reaction channel

Aha! Congrats on 10K+ subscribers! I love this original, but as calm and soothing as it is, I find all those "juicy" chords a little unsettling. I hear an "other-worldly" vibe, as if someone is longing to cross the veil from one direction or the other. Perhaps it's the "I will break down the gates of heaven, A thousand angels stand waiting for me" lines, combined with all the tension and daring chords, but the wish to "run to you" feels frustrated in a poignant and deeply sad way to my ear. Excellent analysis!

Your reactions always bring me such joy. I love that you draw attention to all of the various parts throughout the song. I adore this song, and the live is beautiful, but I still prefer the recorded. They always change some things slightly when they perform things live so that people will know they are not lip-synching. A few very minor changes are to things that I really liked in the original (unless I am just imagining it because the levels on the particular parts are different). I DO love being able to more clearly hear Kevin in this version.

This was immensly interesting to watch. Thank you!

I absolutely love your breakdown of the music but I hope you went back and took time to appreciate the words.

What you've done for me is show the extent to which their music is cerebral. Thanks.

Have to checked out Sound of silence as yet... Matt is introduced as the new base.

I really do love the way you break down your reactions! Can see how much you love what you do ❤

I am binging your videos, I have to say that I've probably watched hundreds of ptx reactions but your analysis stands out so much, I absolutely love it! keep up the good work!!!

Such an incredibly beautiful and sad song. Thank you for sharing, I look forward to seeing you watch the studio version ❤.

Love to see you react to Happy Now one of their originals; also Coffee in Bed is a very popular original; and both quite different from Run to You.

Thank you again for a wonderfully concise breakdown!

You should check Daft Punk, Radioactive and Problem. Also the 2016 Pop Spring concert, mostly originals but it has the Evolution of Michael Jackson. Great reaction as always and I can't wait to see you react to more PTX songs.

Oh! I was wondering to myself last night where this might be on your ‘to do’ list…double happy surprise to see it today, and to see it in a way I haven’t seen it before… bonus happy to hear you’ll do the studio version at some point. And heartily agree to the exploration of originals, I just wish more of them had accompanying videos, but some have lyrics, at least.

Obvious pick of their song with similar arrangement is "My Heart With You", but IMO you can save Matt era songs for later. Maybe try some songs on the same EP like "Valentine", "Daft Punk", or "Love Again". If you want to go back to sing-off performances: "Born to be Wild", "Dog Days", "Without You". My other personal picks for songs in Avi era: "Evolution of Michael Jackson", "NSync Medley", "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Jolene" with Dolly Parton.

what a brilliant reaction💖 I've seen the video release lotsa times; this is my first of a live performance #ohMy stunning

My favorite live version is from Jacksonville. The backbstory is that there were holy roller protesters outside and Mitch and Scott sang over them to drown out the hate.

Awesome reaction - so informative!

They have many great originals. I'll give a list of a mix of my favs or songs that are a bit different and might be fun to analyze(more focusing on the matt years since I've seen people give more suggestions from the avi years) Sing, Light in the hallway, Water from Self titled album (with Avi) Love me when I don't, Be my eyes, It's different now, Anchor, Happy now... Oh no, I'm writing all because there are different elements to analyse. Those are all from their The Lucky Ones original album in 2021. Some recent originals from christmas albums would be: Thank you, Evergreen, Kid on Christmas, Star on top & Please santa please

I love the dissonance in this piece.

⚡⚡🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥⚡⚡ So beautiful...

There's something about this that reminds me of Eric Whitacre.

Crazy looking/listening back to these old performances. They were awesome then but, my oh my have their voices matured so much! Thank you for the analysis. 🙏🏼🫶🏼

Love how you went with the live version! Arent their pitch accuracy amazing?! ❤

I love PTX’s attention to detail and nuances, blending in singing and silences, togetherness in breath and attacks. They are my favorite a cappella group because of their variety of styles and arrangements (rap, pop, hip hop, broadway, folklore, rock...). They keep surprising me and they can be fun and silly. I know you have reacted to Home Free but do you know Voctave? They are also wonderful. My favorite pieces from them are “Disney love medley” with the participation of Kirstin Maldonado and Jeremy Michael Lewis and “Great movie medley” which is a tribute to John Williams. Their arrangements are most excellent. Extremely professional. Thanks again. 🤗

I've never seen this live video of one of my all time favorite PTX songs! Thanks for the reaction! 💖

Thank you, Sir Hairless 😊! Love learning about PTX through your ears! I also recommend more of their originals: Love Again, Coffee in Bed, Be My Eyes and Popspring 2016. Coffee in Bed and Be My Eyes have Matt, and I know you are holding off on his songs, but I hope they eventually become part of your PTX reaction playlist.

I’m just going to say, you’re climbing into my top five favorite reactor/analyzers, at least for a capella, which is my primary focus at this time. Looking at your playlist, I’m both amused and appalled that VoicePlay isn’t on it at all. Appalled, because they rank right up there in talent with PTX, and amused because it means your first experience of them will blow your mind. Along with Home Free, those three groups are pretty universally considered to be the top three a Capella groups out there. What ranks VoicePlay above the rest, imo, is how much of their product is “in house,” so to speak. Two members do about 90% of all their arranging, and they also do a lot of their own costuming, filming, and editing. They are extremely talented singers, and Layne is an incredible beat boxer (and violinist, though “Violayne,” alas has only been seen in “Warriors” and “Nothing Else Matters,” so far.) They also can be really funny. Recommending a starting point is hard - just pick something from their 10 years worth of catalog, you won’t be disappointed. As for PTX, I will join with the mob calling for “Sing.” It’s an original, and it’s easily one of the most upbeat songs I’ve ever heard. Or the Daft Punk” medley, for which they won their first Grammy, after the awards committee created an amended category to get their nomination in.